Two 17-Year-Olds, Saige Sefcik & Alisha Patel, Make Books for the Ocean

What happens when two best friends combine a love of the ocean, a passion for art, and a drive to make a difference? They write a book with Authors for Nature! In this episode, Kelsey Sweetland sits down with the very first authors published through Authors for Nature, 17-year-old author Alisha (Nyx) and illustrator Sage, to talk about their children's book Endangered Animals of the Ocean, now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

From an unexpected friendship in eighth-grade theater class to late-night publishing scrambles in the final week of school, Sage and Nyx share the full journey: the animals that surprised them (marine iguanas are real, and they're endangered!), the heartbreak of learning the Great Barrier Reef is dying, and why staying hopeful is the only way to keep going as a young person in today's political climate.

They also get real about the creative process: killing your creative babies, learning to storyboard, endlessly resizing Procreate canvases to the right dimensions, and they share advice for young authors and illustrators just getting started.

This one is full of heart, humor, and genuine wisdom from two teenagers who are already changing the world, one page at a time.

🐠 Find Endangered Animals of the Ocean on Amazon or Barnes & Noble

🌿 Learn more at authorsfornature.org or email authorsfornature@gmail.com